Marching Forward

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in Romans 8:28-39.  This is a paraphrased version highlighting some of my favorite verses:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (vs 28)

"If God is for us, who is against us?" (vs 31)

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (vs 37-39).

Here is what I discovered today as I was considering this powerful passage:

We are all called. We all have a purpose. We have been marked by God to become like Christ. It's a becoming, a choice, a life we accept or reject. God is not a respecter of persons and desires all of us to be justified and glorified.

God is for me. He is FOR ME. Cheering for me. Rooting for me. Encouraging me. Loving me.

Sometimes He asks us to do the hard stuff. Look at what He asked His Son to do? (FOR ME by the way.) How deep was His love for His only Son? How painful was it to allow His Son to die? But, God knew the big picture. He asked Jesus to go through the hard stuff so that we might live life with freedom, joy and hope.

God understands my big picture. It can't be easy for Him to see the tears and the pain. It can't be easy for Him to see me walk through turmoil and suffering. But, if I can keep my eyes focused on the big picture I am reminded that He knows best.

What can separate me from God's love? Nothing. Not yesterday. Not today. And not tomorrow. Not my current circumstances. Not tomorrow's either. Not life. Not death. Not heartache. Not happiness. Not broken promises. Not unfulfilled dreams. Not anger. Not shaking fists. Not tears. Not a lack of joy. Absolutely nothing can separate me from God's love. Nothing I do or say can make Him love me any less. His love is always available. I can drink it in. Anytime. Anyplace. 

In closing...I guess it's pretty simple.  Keep remembering the big picture. The victory has already been won.  We are more than conquerors in Christ.